The Princess's Knight
by Lyrical Ema
Summary: Based off Tamora Pierce's novels. Nanoha, a princess with the Gift, believes that she will never find a friend within the group of pages that arrive at the palace. She discovers how wrong she is when she meets Fate Testarossa.
1. Journey

_"Neh, Fate,"_

_"Yes, Alicia?"_

_"Promise me, okay?"_

_"Promise you what?"_

_"Promise me that you'll do what we planned,"_

_"You'll be there. We'll do it together,"_

_"Even if I'm not, you have to go, okay, Fate?"_

_"But..."_

_"Please, promise me,"_

_"I-I promise, Alicia,"_

000

The horse was saddled, and Fate mounted it with such grace that even her brother had to admire her.

"Are we leaving or not, Chrono?" Fate asked impatiently.

"Calm down," Chrono held up a hand. "We're going, we're going,"

After Alicia and Fate's mother had died, Lindy Harlown had taken Fate in among her three children: Chrono and a second orphan named Hayate.

Resisting the urge to tell him to hurry up, Fate fingered the hilt of her blade a little nervously. She had hacked off all of her long, golden hair until it was chin length (save for the two chunks in front that fell to her shoulders) and saved her money to buy proper armor in preparation for the trip.

She had promised Alicia that she would become a knight, just as Alicia had once dreamed of herself.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Chrono eyed his foster sister skeptically, as if wondering if she could lift the blade around her waist, let alone achieve what she was aiming for.

"Yes," Fate bit back a harsh response. "Can we leave now, please? I'd rather not be on the road during nightfall,"

"Good point," agreed Chrono. "But Mistress Hayate is still getting ready,"

"She's going with us?"

"Just halfway, to the convent,"

"Oh,"

There was a brief silence as they both listened to the bump of wheels against the road.

"Fate! Chrono!"

In the makeshift carriage (which was really more of a cart with a flimsy roof on top), Hayate Yagami waved and grinned. Her eyes, blue as the ocean, were sparkling with anticipation. Chrono and Fate exchanged glances. Hayate lived for this sort of thing; the convent would probably be a good thing for her.  
Although she looked sweet and innocent, Hayate had a lot of untapped power; again the reason she was leaving to join the priests of the Goddess. Fate, who would have put up a tantrum (or at least, a Fate tantrum, which was more of a loud argument) at the thought, was disgusted by the thought of walking around in skirts and learning to curtsy as well as to practice her magic in ways 'appropriate for a lady'.

"Let's go," it was Chrono's turn to be impatient now.

Fate flicked the reins a little, turning her horse, a mare named Thunder, towards the path.

Inside the cart, she could already hear the murmuring of Hayate's three self-assigned handmaidens (although Signum was more of a guard than a maid), and the low bark of the two dogs—one of whom belonged to Fate herself.

"Come on, girls," Chrono put special emphasis on the last word, as if it was an insult.

Without comment, Fate followed him as he wove through the thick trees, away from the small town that Lindy herself ruled over, Asura.

000

"Princess? Princess Nanoha? Are you there? Princess!"

Nanoha didn't bother answering her closest maid and friend, a girl named Alisa, and continued practicing, using her Gift to make the balls of pink light float around the room.

"Princess?" there was a knock on the door.

Nanoha turned slightly, frowning. Her teacher, a mage named Yuno Scrya, was supposed to be busy, teaching the squires and knights magic. She had thought he would be teaching a class at this hour. "Yuno? Are you back from class already?"

"It's dinnertime, Nanoha—I mean Princess,"

Nanoha glanced out the window, slightly shocked to see that the sun was merely a stripe of orange against the horizon. "Oh. I didn't know,"

"Alisa tells me you've been locked in there for the past five hours," Yuno went on. "What have you been doing in there?"

"Practicing," Nanoha's voice was a tad defensive.

"What have you been practicing, then, Princess?" Yuuno's tone was mocking now, and Nanoha didn't like it.

Flicking a hand at one of the floating balls, she directed it towards the door. When it connected, it singed a large hole that revealed Yuno's shocked expression. Nanoha laughed.

"That's not very safe," Yuno scolded, opening the door with ease. He had probably unlocked the door already.

Nanoha sighed. "All you ever taught me was boring stuff, like summoning, or small offensive spells...I want to learn big magic,"

Yuno smiled a little bit. "I know, Nanoha. But your parents wouldn't like it very much if they saw you blowing up the garden with that attack you created..."

"Starlight Breaker," Nanoha supplied.

"You don't need a spoken spell, Nanoha. You of all people should know that,"

"But I like it," Nanoha disagreed. "It's a pretty name,"  
Yuno sighed, but didn't argue with his princess further. "Come down to dinner. Princess Vivio has been dying to see you," he said.

"My brother and sister still aren't back yet?" Nanoha questioned.

"They're still leading the war against Riel. Be patient, they'll come home soon,"  
Nanoha sighed, but gathered her hated skirts and got to her feet, flicking a finger to put out the globes of light as she followed Yuno towards the private dining hall.

000

"Are we there yet?"

Fate had reached the end of her patience about six times ago, and turned to glare at her foster sister, who was sitting in the cart innocently, as if she wasn't actually annoying Fate beyond her wit's limit.

"No. We'll be there in a few minutes," Chrono sighed, for about the twelfth time.

"Oh,"

There was silence, just the steady clops of Chrono's steed, Glacier, and Fate's Thunder as their hooves created new prints in the worn earth.

"It's getting a tad dark. Who wants to light candles?" asked Chrono, a small smile quirking his lips.

"I do!" shouted Hayate before anyone else. Being around twelve herself, as opposed to the fourteen year-olds, Fate and Chrono, she appeared much more childish than her siblings.

"Go ahead then," Fate encouraged.

It took only a moment; they didn't even have to pause as Hayate closed her eyes and balls of bright white light appeared, suspended in midair, lighting the way for them all.

"Thank you,"

"You're welcome," Hayate beamed.

Neither of her siblings complimented her; this was standard for their younger sister.

Five minutes later and one more "Are we there yet?", the little cart rolled to a stop.

"This is where we part company," Hayate said, a little sadly.

"We'll see you again," Chrono comforted her.

"Yes, you can come visit us," added Fate.

Hayate nodded, then sat up a little straighter. "I'll take good care of Arf for you, Fate,"

"Thank you,"

"Let's go, Signum,"

The woman at the front flicked the reins, and the two horses walked forward slowly, dragging the cart away from Fate and Chrono, taking the light with them.

"I suppose I'd better light our way," Fate said halfheartedly.

"Yes,"

The white globes were replaced by yellow ones that hung, suspended by nothing, ringing the two as they trotted slowly through the dark and towards the palace.

000

"Sistah!" squealed Vivio in delight, as Nanoha sat down beside her younger sister.

"Hi, Vivio,"

"Where were you?" demanded Vivio.

"Practicing magic," replied Nanoha filling her plate with a mixture of chicken and salad, along with some bread and cereal grains (rice).

"Show me!" ordered the young princess, but Nanoha refused, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, maybe later. Did you learn anything with Miss Suzuka?"

Suzuka, a childhood friend of Alisa and Nanoha, was now working as Vivio's personal tutor in everything except magic.

"Yes! Three and three make sex,"

Nanoha covered her mouth with one hand to muffle her giggles. When she was finally able to speak, she gasped out, "I think you mean six, Vivio,"

"Oh," preoccupied with this new knowledge, the two of them ate in silence for a moment.

Alisa walked in, holding a letter in one hand. "I have a letter for you from your older brother," she announced.

"I'll take it," Nanoha said, holding out one hand. Alisa placed the scroll into the open palm. The writing on the outside was shaky, as if the writer had had trouble putting pen to paper. Unrolling it, Nanoha read:

_Dear Nanoha,_

_How are you? I apologize for not being home very often, but we're very busy. We lost a lot of men yesterday. Miyuki has taken to fighting recently, although Mother and Father had forbidden it, she's very good with a sword. Don't tell them, please. Anyway, things are going as well as can be expected, but we are both alive. I wanted to write to tell you that a group of new pages will be arriving shortly, around your age. Father asked me to relay the message to you (I'm not sure why he didn't tell you himself...), but I hope you can find a friend in one of them. But not a close friend (those were Father's words, not mine. I think he's worried about your chastity. He already seems to think that you and Master Yuno were having an affair. Actually, I heard that too, but—never mind). Anyway, please be well, and tell Vivio that four plus four is eight, not ape for me. _

_Much Love,_

_Kyoya Takamachi_

"What did brother say?" asked Vivio curiously.

"That four plus four is eight,"

"No. It's ape. Like three plus three is sex," Vivio said stubbornly.

"Um...no. Thanks, Alisa," she turned to the blond, who was watching the conversation with raised eyebrows. "Could you take this to my room, please?"  
With a nod, Alisa took the scroll and walked out of the room.

A new group of pages, huh? And Kyoya thought she could become friends with them?

Yeah, right.

Nanoha rolled her eyes and turned back to her meal.

**A/N: Was it good? Bad? Horribly OOC? Disgusting? I don't know Kyoya's personality too well, sorry if he sounded way out of character; I've never watched Triangle Hearts and haven't completed the entire first season of Nanoha. Chapter 2 might be up by Monday. Arisa was changed to Alisa for reasons unknown, and the king and queen are not Momoko and Shiro. More on that later. Review, please!**


	2. Encounter

**A/N: Yay! I'm glad everyone liked it! Especially…everyone who I've never heard from before, and of course, Y-K and KQ118. Oh. And Nanoha's supposed to be a stuck-up…princess at the beginning, but she'll get better. I hope this chapter is as enjoyable as the previous one! I'm still trying to figure out an appropriate song for this one. Any ideas? I was debating over Love Story and Keep Holding On. Reads and Reviews appreciated. **

**---Chapter 2---**

"Nanoha? Are you going somewhere?"

Nanoha turned with a slightly guilty expression. "Um…just down to visit the new pages,"

"At this hour?" Yuno asked skeptically.

"They're down there," she pointed at the training field, and indeed, a group of young boys (and girl, although Nanoha didn't know it) were practicing with wooden swords.

"And why are you dressed like that? That's not very appropriate for a princess, if you don't mind me saying,"

Nanoha flicked a glance down at the outfit she wore: a tunic and leggings, with boots and scabbard that held her sword. Nothing looked wrong with it to her, at least. She wrinkled her nose and gave an annoyed sort of huff. "Well, I want to see them without having them bow or curtsy or formalities, like the way I talk with you!"

Yuno turned slightly red, but answered, "I don't think the King and Queen would approve. You magicked your hair, as well, didn't you? They would have you grounded for a week,"

"Well Mother and Father can—"

"Nanoha!"  
"Well, I just want to go visit them!" Nanoha exploded, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Can't I at least do that?"

"Oh, so you do think you can find a friend," Yuno said swiftly.

It was Nanoha's turn to blush. "Well, maybe. What's the harm in that? Now can I go, please?"

Yuno sighed. "At least allow me to accompany you,"

Nanoha glared at him. "They'll know it's me if you do,"

"I'll come in another form. Please?"

"Fine! Meet me there!" Nanoha relented, and stomped off, down the marble staircase, out the doors, and around towards the back of the palace.

000

"That's the fourth time I've beaten you. Are you sure you want to keep going?" Fate asked Chrono, looking at him with a slightly concerned expression.

"Yes. Those times were just luck," Chrono repeated for the fourth time.

Hiding a smirk, Fate turned her uncomfortably unbalanced wooden sword to swing at Chrono again. He dodged, and brought his own sword to meet hers.

Rolling her maple eyes, Fate twisted the makeshift hilt so that Chrono's wrist twisted with their connected swords, forcing his hand open, as the wood clattered across the hard earth. She swung the dull point up to Chrono's neck, a slightly triumphant smile curling her lips.

"I win," she announced proudly.

Chrono frowned at her. "Luck,"

"You said that the last four times," Fate reminded him.

"It's because you know me!" Chrono complained. "I'm sure anyone here could beat you easily,"

Fate shrugged. "Maybe. I've only practiced with you, because you insist I have luck again, and again, and again, and—"

"Okay, I get the point! Why don't you practice with that one over there? He looks almost as weak as you," Chrono pointed towards a corner of the field as Fate threw an elbow towards his ribs.

"Who?" Fate turned towards where he was pointing. "The one with red hair?"

"No, brown," Chrono corrected. "Blue eyes, ferret on his shoulder…?"

"Oh. Okay," Fate shrugged. "I'll try. I might not win, though,"

"I certainly hope you don't,"

Fate glared at him. "Thanks," she muttered, walking towards the boy with deliberate steps. As she neared, the boy's eyes flickered with something like fear.

"Do you need something?"

His voice was awfully high, but Fate ignored it. "Would you like to practice with me?"

The ferret on the boy's shoulder chittered in indignation, and the brunette waved a hand to quiet it. "All right. Do you mind using real swords?"  
"No," Fate smiled a little, putting a hand on the black hilt of Bardiche.

"No blood," the boy added. "And no cheating,"  
Fate's smile widened. "All right,"

Chrono frowned from his place in the center of the field as his sister unsheathed her sword, and decided to intervene. "Fa—Fay? What are you doing?"

Fay seemed less of a feminine name than Fate; Chrono had created it accidentally while introducing Fate to their instructors.

"Practicing," Fate answered, swinging Bardiche a few times as her opponent brought out his own sword. "Are you ready?" she directed the question at the boy.

"Yes. Get off, please," the boy ordered the ferret, which dove off the shoulder with a loud chatter of anger, and disappeared into the grass.

"Chrono, will you referee?"

"Fine," Chrono answered unwillingly. "One…Two…Begin,"  
The boy was good. He swung at her with practiced swipes, the pretty sword humming through the air, colliding evenly with Bardiche's wider blade. Fate would hate to break the thinner sword. She directed blows, swings, disarming movements at her opponent instead of full-on attacks; she could have snapped the sword in two if she had.

"You're good," the strange, high voice breathed as their swords met a second time.

"Thanks," Fate swung away from the connection, bringing her sword hilt down towards the others wrist. The boy's eyes widened.

Bright light exploded in Fate's vision, and she threw up the only spell she knew for a shield as she was thrown backwards from the fight.

"Cheater!" yelled Chrono, helping Fate to her feet as she shook her head several times, trying to clear it.

The boy put a hand to his mouth. "I'm sorry!" the words came out slightly muffled from behind the palm.

"It's fine," Fate muttered, pushing Chrono off her. "It was my fault,"

"Nanoha!"

The boy winced, and Fate swung around to stare at the six foot tall, bearded man, who was currently shoving people aside to get to the corner where Fate, Chrono and the boy were standing. "What are you doing out here?" the man's loud voice had a dangerous edge to it that none could miss.

"Nothing, Father!" the boy insisted. "I was just practicing!"

"And you thought it appropriate to blast an innocent page in the process? " the man rumbled. "And why are you dressed like that?" he waved a hand over the boy.

When he stepped away, the boy's hair was long, and he was wearing skirts rather than a tunic. In his—her—hair, was a small silver tiara. Her blue eyes stared reproachfully up at what Fate supposed was her father. "What did you do that for?" she demanded. "I spent a good amount of time getting those clothes!"

"Don't talk back to your father, young lady, unless you'd enjoy spending a week practicing proper etiquette again!"

The girl—Nanoha—glared at her father. "I thought it was you who said a lady should be able to defend herself," she reminded him.

"That's not what I meant!"

While her father's temper heated, Nanoha's cooled.

"Well then, why don't you explain later, I'm hungry," Nanoha replied. Fate was sure she was putting on the act; she could even swear that Nanoha smiled at her a little. "I'll meet you in Vivio's dining room,"  
He snorted, but otherwise stomped off without comment.

"Sorry about that," Nanoha muttered, then smiled a little. "I'm Nanoha Takamachi—"

"The princess?" gasped Chrono.

Fate frowned. "Princess Nanoha?"  
"That's me. That was my father, Ryou; he's got a temper. I'm sorry about the magic, I'm not very used to fighting. Are you Gifted?"  
Fate nodded. "Yes. So is my brother, Chrono, and my sister—she's at the convent,"

"You don't look alike," Nanoha observed.

"We're not related by blood,"

"Oh," Nanoha was silent. "Neither are my sister Vivio and I. Maybe you'll come to see me later?" she offered.

"Um…sure," Fate answered, blinking a few times.

"I'd like to fight you again some time," Nanoha explained. "And my father would like me to find friends among the pages,"

"Oh. All right then," Fate agreed, slightly relieved by the logical explanation.

"See you," Nanoha turned, with grace, and swept out of the field, looking like quite the ice princess.

As soon as she was gone, the pages crowded around Fate.

"She _fancies _you!"

"How did you do it?"

"Did you slip her love potion?"

"I think she loves him!"  
"You're probably going to be a prince!"

Fate and Chrono were the only one who would disagree.

"I don't think Nanoha is Fate's type," Chrono admitted to the crowd of boys, who rolled their eyes.

"She was nice though," Fate murmured thoughtfully.

000

"Five plus five is pen,"

Nanoha snorted into her meal. "Ten," she corrected, after swallowing the mouthful of pancake.

"Two plus two is floor, three plus three is sex, four plus four is ape, and five plus five is pen,"

"Four, six, eight and ten," Nanoha disagreed. "That's not at all right, Vivio,"

Vivio wrinkled her nose. "Is too!"

"Nope,"

Vivio, apparently refusing to accept Nanoha's words, turned back to breakfast, and refused to speak to Nanoha for the rest of the meal.

The door banged open, and the king, Ryou, entered, looking thunderous.

"Nanoha! What was that in the fields?!"  
Nanoha got to her feet, her fork clattering to the plate loudly. "I wanted to find some friends! Is that so bad?"

"Did you have to blast that boy? He could have been hurt! It would have reflected badly on us! Nanoha, can't you—"

"—Think before you act," Nanoha knew her father's speech word-by-word at this point. "Yes, I can, thank you, and it was an accident. He had the Gift as well, and he wasn't hurt. Besides, I like him,"

Wrong choice of words. Her father turned a color just a few shades from indigo, and choked out, "Liked him?"  
"As a friend," Nanoha clarified with a long sigh. "Just as a friend. I wonder who would have won, if I hadn't used my Gift?"

"I—"

"Fadah! Fadah!" yelled Vivio, launching herself at the king's legs. "Three plus three is sex!"

If it had been possible, Ryou would have turned an even deeper shade of purple. "S-s-"

"She misunderstood," Nanoha explained. "It's six, Vivio,"

"Sex!"

"Six,"

"Both of you, shut up!" yelled the king, causing both of his daughters to collapse into giggles as he stomped out of the room, his face now a firey red.

000

**A/N: The Gift can come in all shapes, colors and sizes, I'm sure you know. Nanoha's is pink, Yuno's is green, Chrono's is blue, and Fate's is yellow. Just FYI. Shiro won't show up…I liked Nanoha and Ryou fighting, more than her relationship her with her real father.**

**Read and review? **


	3. Dream

**A/N: In case you haven't gotten the memo, I won't be around for the next week (including weekend) very much. Just Monday and Friday. So, slow updates. Sorry.**

_"Fate, Alicia? Where are you two?"_

_Fate turned to call back to her mother, but Alicia grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the icy pond, whispering, "Don't answer! She'll stop us!"_

_Burgundy eyes met blue ones as Fate allowed her sister to pull her right up to the ice's edge. "Alicia, it's dangerous. Are you sure we should…?"_

_Alicia was already on the ice, testing it, stomping her feet. "It's fine, Fate. You're such a worry-wart! See, I can walk around the edge. We won't go in too deep, so it'll be fine," Alicia insisted._

_Fate sighed, but followed her sister onto the slippery surface. "We won't go any farther in, right?"_

_"No," Alicia confirmed. The pair of them ringed the edge of the ice pond several times, before Alicia said finally, "I'm bored! Let's go a little farther in,"_

_"Alicia! We can't, it's dangerous!" protested Fate. _

_"Scaredy-cat. Calm down, just a little. Look, you can't see the water underneath. I'll go first, okay?"_

_Fate hesitated. "Are you sure?"_

_"Of course, silly," Alicia rolled her blue eyes. _

_"All right…" Fate said finally, and her sister slipped and slid into the center of the pond, testing the thickness to make sure it was safe._

_"See, it's perfectly—"_

_"Alicia!"_

_The ice cracked and split in the center. Alicia's shocked eyes held her sister's for one, frozen moment before she plunged into the icy water. Fate slid towards her, but the cracks were edging toward her, threatening to break._

_"Alicia, Alicia!" cried Fate desperately. Then she turned towards the shore, raising her voice. "MOTHER!"  
"Fate?" A woman with long, billowing black hair appeared at the edge of the lake, and shock crossed her face as she took in the scene; one girl standing close to the edge of the pond while cracks spread from a hole in the center. "Where's Alicia?"_

_Fate could only point towards the hole in the ice helplessly._

_"Get back onto the shore, I'll get her,"_

_Fate obeyed as the woman stepped onto the ice. More cracks spun from where her feet touched the frozen water, spinning into patterns across the blue surface. Her mother seemed to be trying to break the ice._

_A second hole burst into existence close to Precia, but she kept walking towards the spot where Alicia had disappeared. The cracks deepened with an ominous, loud noise._

_"Alicia!"_

_No answer, except for the shadow that could just be seen under the ice, and the woman stepped toward it. _

_The ice cracked and split with a huge explosion, and suddenly, Alicia's head appeared above the ice. The woman grabbed her daughter's arm and started swimming to shore._

_~&~_

_"Neh, Fate," murmured Alicia, one day as they lay together in bed, late at night._

"_Yes, Alicia?" _

"_Promise me, okay?"_

"_Promise you what?" asked Fate. _

"_Promise me that you'll do what we planned," Alicia clarified. "To become the first-ever lady knights," _

"_You'll be there. We'll do it together,"_

"_Even if I'm not, you have to go, okay, Fate?" Alicia pleaded._

"_But..." Fate began. _

"_Please, promise me,"_

"_I-I promise, Alicia," sighed Fate._

"_Thank you," her sister murmured._

_~&~_

"_Alicia! Are you all right? Alicia?"_

"_F…ate?"_

_Fate put a hand to her sister's forehead. "You have a fever," she announced. "Do you feel okay?"_

"_My throat hurts and it's itchy. My head and chest feel poundy," Alicia answered._

"_You don't look so good,"_

"_It's just a cold,"_

"_Here," Fate grabbed the water pitcher and towel, soaking the towel with cool water and placing it on her sister's forehead. "Feel better?"_

"_Mhm," murmured Alicia vaguely. _

"_Are you sure you're feeling okay?"_

"_My chest feels heavy. Right here," Alicia pointed to the center of her chest. _

"_Should I get mother?"  
"No…stay with me,"_

"_Baby,"_

"_No I'm not!" Alicia protested, then smiled a little. "Maybe just a bit," _

_They stayed that way for a few minutes, before Alicia's breathing began to rattle, sounding labored, as if something was stuck in her throat._

"_Alicia?"_

"_Don't…go…"_

"_You need a doctor, Alicia,"_

"_Wait. I'll be fine in a few minutes," Alicia had obviously taken effort to stop the pauses between her words. "Don't go, Fate…"_

"_Okay,"_

_They waited for a few more minutes. Eventually, Alicia's breathing could no longer be heard. Fate thought she was asleep._

"_Alicia? You asleep? Alicia?" Fate leaned over to stare at her sister. "Alicia? Alicia?" _

_She shook her sister's shoulder a little. _

_Alicia didn't stir._

_And that's when Fate realized she wasn't breathing any more._

_000_

"Fate? Fate!"

Fate opened her eyes, and stared into Chrono's navy blue ones. "I had a nightmare," she managed.

Chrono shook his head, obviously fed up. "You're crying," he noticed, looking like he'd rather be in the seventh circle of hell than here.

Fate wiped her tears off quickly. "Sorry. Nightmare,"

"It's nearly time to get up. You'd better…" Chrono gestured to her appearance, and blushed a deep red.

"Oh. Okay," Fate answered, forcing herself out of bed, and stumbling towards the bathroom, pulling out the bandages and shirt she used to hide her shape.

"Good thing Mother got us our own room," called Chrono, cleaning his own appearance up in their small bedroom.

"Mhm," Fate answered, struggling to get the shirt over her head. "All done. Need the bathroom?"  
"No. Let's go downstairs,"

000

"Princess Nanoha?" Fate frowned as the brunette princess appeared at the edge of the marble staircase leading towards the dining hall. "What are you doing here?"

The princess shrugged. "I was just walking up for breakfast. Are you going down?"

"Yes,"

There was a rather awkward silence.

"So…" Nanoha began, but stumbled a little. Fate darted forward and caught her before she fell. "Thanks. I'm sorry, I just…" Nanoha's eyes fluttered, then opened, strangely unfocused. _"Don't go, Fate…"_

Fate shuddered, almost dropping Nanoha. "Princess Nanoha?"

Nanoha jerked back to herself suddenly. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I…my Gift sometimes forces other people's thoughts to me, and sometimes I go a little weird," she admitted. "Sorry about that. I'll see you later, okay?"

She left in a hurry. Chrono stared at Fate worriedly.

"Do you think she knows?"

"She won't tell anyone," Fate sighed. "At least, I hope she won't…"

000

Who was Fate? Was that boy, Fay, dreaming about a girl named Fate? Nanoha saw people's dreams, not their thoughts. So…was Fate a girlfriend of Fay's? The strangest ripple of jealousy coursed through Nanoha.

Maybe. Or a sister. Nanoha had only caught glimpses of a girl, lying in bed, looking sick. She resembled Fay greatly…except for the hair and eyes. Nanoha hoped that it was a sibling or relative of Fay's.

Was she jealous of this new boy? She had only met him yesterday, after all.

Deciding she was being silly, Nanoha walked towards her personal dining hall.

**A/N: Done! Reviews, please.**


	4. Fate

**A/N: Argh, last chapter was the queen of OOCness. I can't grasp Nanoha's personality! Anyway, Precia commited suicide after Alicia died. I tried to add it in last chapter, but I wanted it to be more like a montague than a summary. Last chapter was my top speed: written at 9:33 to 9:54…I have 920 unread e-mails: 12 from reviews from today. I'm in the mood to write something new, though, so this might not turn out perfectly.**

_"Look! It's Princess Nanoha!"  
Nanoha turned slightly, her wide eyes slightly confused at the attention she was receiving. A gaggle of children were standing grouped together, staring at her with awe clear in their young faces. They were no older than she was. The pair of twins, the girl with brown hair and the blue eyed boy drew back slightly as she approached._

_"W-would you—I mean, do you need something, Princess?" asked the brunette nervously._

_"Um…do you want to play with me?" Nanoha offered a little shyly._

_"Su—" began one of the twins. _

_"We're a little busy," interrupted the boy, backing up a little. "Um, Fate, Alicia, didn't your mom want you home soon?"_

_"That's right!" piped up the brown-haired girl. "Come on!"_

_"What? I thought it was—"_

_"Shh! Let's go!"_

_The little group walked away, the girl and boy muttering to the twins._

_"That's Princess Nanoha! If you upset her, she'll get really mad! She could kill you or something!" whispered the girl._

_"Yeah! I heard that if you don't play with her the way she wants to, she'll have your had cut off!" the boy added. _

_"What? Really?" whispered the blue-eyed twin, the one Nanoha hadn't heard a word from yet. "She's the evil witch?"  
"No, stupid, that's the story about the vampire!"  
The brown-eyed twin turned a half second to look at Nanoha, as if wondering if she really was an evil monster or not. _

_Then the little group walked too far for Nanoha to hear and she watched them leave the small field. _

000

_"Hello,"_

_The snow started to fall lightly. Nanoha looked up from playing with the little pink ball of light she had constructed out of her own magic with surprise. "Huh?"  
It was one of the twins—the brown-eyed one. "Hi. I'm Fate. I'm sorry about what my friends said yesterday," she said, a little nervously._

_"Oh," Nanoha said, because that was all she could say._

_"Um…do you want to play with me?"_

_"Okay,"_

_Fate smiled a little. "What do you want to play?"  
"Most of my games are in the sky," Nanoha admitted._

_Fate blinked. "Sky?"_

_"Yes. My Gift…my magic, is strongest in the air,"_

_Fate nodded, like this made perfect sense to her. "The sky is nice,"_

_"It's free," Nanoha agreed, surprising herself by speaking. "It's clearer and easier in the sky. It's pretty and clean,"  
"Sometimes," Fate disagreed. "Except when it rains and storms," she smiled a little. "Do you like to fly?"  
Nanoha blinked several times. "Yes,"_

_"That's hard to do," Fate complimented the princess. "Most full-grown mages can't do that…your Gift must be big,"_

_Nanoha shrugged a little, and changed the subject. "Do you have the Gift?"_

_"Yes. My sister doesn't—you met her yesterday—but I do," _

_"What's your name again?" asked Nanoha._

_"Fa—"_

000

__"Princess Nanoha! Princess? Please wake up, it's time for breakfast time," called one of Nanoha's many maids, a girl named Stella.

"Huh?" Nanoha muttered groggily, opening her eyes slowly. Her dream had been so strange. Who was Fate? That day in the field had never taken place, and she had never met a brown-eyed girl named Fate before.

"Come on, Princess, I need you to stand up so I can dress you properly,"

Nanoha obeyed slowly, and the girl slipped a number of slips and petticoats over her head, and finally, a long, pink gown.

"I'm going downstairs for a moment, I'll be up shortly," Nanoha announced as soon as she was fully dressed, and slipped out the door, heading toward the marble staircase.

She wanted time to think before the day truly began. What had she dreamed of? The face had looked awfully familiar, but already it was fading slightly…all she could remember was the girl's face, and the name she had been about to say…

She walked down the staircase, but the loud clatter of morning bustling didn't help her concentrate at all. She started back up, towards her bedroom.

"Princess Nanoha? What are you doing here?" the boy from earlier—Fay—was frowning at her, as if confused by her presence.

She shrugged. "I was just walking up from breakfast. Are you going down?" Nanoha asked.

"Yes,"

"So…" Neither spoke for a while, but Nanoha was studying the boy's face…it looked so familiar, but from what? She remembered, suddenly, and stumbled backwards with shock. The boy caught her before she could go tumbling down the stairs. "Thanks. I'm sorry, I just…"

_000_

"_Don't…go…"_

"_You need a doctor, Alicia,"_

"_Wait. I'll be fine in a few minutes," Alicia had obviously taken effort to stop the pauses between her words. "Don't go, Fate…"_

"_Okay,"_

_They waited for a few more minutes. Eventually, Alicia's breathing could no longer be heard. Fate thought she was asleep._

"_Alicia? You asleep? Alicia?" Fate leaned over to stare at her sister. "Alicia? Alicia?" _

_She shook her sister's shoulder a little. _

_Alicia didn't stir._

_And that's when Fate realized she wasn't breathing any more._

_000_

"Don't go, Fate…" Nanoha murmured, as the vision faded. Her mother had also been gifted with dream sight, but Nanoha's was stronger, and ad the same time unpredictable. It sprang upon her whenever the person was dwelling on a particular dream. The dream had wiped all of the thoughts from earlier clean from her head.

"Princess Nanoha?" the hands holding her shook for a moment, then steadied.

"I…my Gift sometimes forces other people's thoughts onto me, and I go a little weird," Nanoha lied. "Sorry about that. I'll see you later, okay?"

She half-ran towards the dining room, leaving the two behind.

000

It had been an hour since Nanoh had eaten breakfast, and she had dwelled on the dream all day. If the two twins had been real, like in her dream…Who were they? Fate and Alicia had been real, then?

"Hey, Nanoha—I mean, Princess Nanoha," it was Fay. How had he gotten up to her hiding place?

"Hi, Fay. How did you get up here?"

Fay smiled a little, and sat down next to her. They were sitting on the sill of the huge window on the tallest tower, on either side of eachother, letting the wind wash over them. "I flew,"  
"No, really,"

"I did. You should know," Fay laughed. "There's no door out of here,"

Nanoha turned back to the windy sky. "Really?"  
"Yes. I'll show you," Fay's eyes glimmered at the thought of a challenge.

"What?"

"Just wait here,"

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing dangerous," Fate assured the princess. "I'll just…" in one fluid movement, the boy launched himself over the edge of the window, and fell.

"Fay!" screeched Nanoha, her eyes wide as she searched the sky for his falling body. "Fay!"

"You thought I couldn't do it?" he was teasing her, floating right above the window, yellow wings, tiny and motionless, expanding just from the heels of his boots.

"No, but I didn't know you could fly,"

"The sky is clearer and easier. It's pretty and clean up here," Fay murmured. "Until it storms,"

Nanoha blinked. "Where did you hear that?"

Fay shrugged. "I made it up,"

"Oh. Come down here, I can't keep craning my neck," Nanoha complained. Fay smiled again, and returned to his place next to Nanoha.

"So, do you have an element?"

"No," Nanoha answered, surprised. "The Gift doesn't have elements, does it?"  
"People have elements," Fay said. "Chrono's is ice, and mine is lightning. Do you have one?"

"Dreams," Nanoha blurted out.

Fay didn't comment on the strange answer as the bell from the nearby tower chimed, signaling the beginning of the fifth lesson.

"I have to go,"

"All right," Nanoha sighed, feling a little forlorn at the thought of her new friend leaving.

"I'll see you later?"

"Sure,"

"Um…by the way, Princess…"

"Hm?" Nanoha raised her eyebrows.

"My real name, it's actually Fate,"

He dropped from the tower without another word.

000

**A/N: I used a masculine pronoun for Fate because Nanoha doesn't know yet. I'll hope I'll get to stop soon, once Nanoha finally finds out. Reviews appreciated—any ideas on how Nanoha should find out? **


	5. Love

**A/N: I've been extremely busy today. How many AMVs have I made today? Ahem, EIGHT. Anyway, I hope those who read it liked Amnesiac, and those who didn't…enjoy the reupload of this chapter! That I wrote. Because the other one was so disjointed…the Sophie part came out of NOWHERE, the bathroom scene was too short, etc. **

**p.s. I took some of the scenes from the original chapter and threw them in here, so if stuff looks familiar, it's not your brain…it's mine. **

**--&--**

"Fate—I mean, Fay! Are you awake? Hello? Practicing time is now! Fay!" Chrono yelled in his sister's ear, who jerked around.

"Huh?"

"We're about to leave for class," he explained, looking annoyed. "Hurry up,"

"Oh," she answered, gathering up her things from the lunch table and following him out of the dining hall.

"You've been so spacey today," Chrono commented. "I mean, I've had to call your name three times every time I want something,"

"I was just thinking,"

"About what?"

"Well…" Fate began, but stopped and gave a different reason than the one she was thinking of. "…I was wondering about exams,"  
"Oh," Chrono didn't believe her, but didn't press Fate further as they stepped into the large classroom, and took their seats.

999

"Now, for homework, I want you to solve all the problems I wrote on the board today, all work shown, all right?" the math teacher announced, pushing her glasses further up her nose and looking around at them sternly.

The class groaned loudly as the bell signaled a class change. Fate packed up her things and slipped out of the door before anyone else.

"Why are you in such a rush?" asked Chrono.

"No reason. I just want to get to the next class," Actually, Nanoha's magic class was right next to the history room, but Fate wasn't about to tell him that.

Chrono didn't answer.

"What?"

Still no answer. Fate wheeled around, preparing to give him a lecture on answering when people talk to you, but there was no one there.

"Chrono?" she frowned, and stared around. "Chrono!"

"I'm right here! Shh, here she comes!"  
"Who?" Fate asked.

"The princess!"

Fate raised her eyebrows in amusement. "What's wrong with her? Did you get her angry or something?"

To her surprise…and displeasure, he shook his head. "No! She's just…agh!" Fate noticed that his face was now bright red, which did not improve her mood. At all.

"What? Do you have a crush on her?" Fate struggled to keep the ice from her voice, trying to keep the mood light and teasing.

"No!" Chrono answered angrily, which was as good as, 'Yes, absolutely!' for Fate, who half-smiled, and turned to the hall again, looking for the brunette in question.

"Hello, Fate—I mean, Fay,"

Fate turned, still unused to her name on those lips. "Hi, Na—Princess,"

"Call me Nanoha. Na-no-ha," Nanoha drew the letters in the air with one finger as she said them. "Okay?"

"Okay…Nanoha," Fate agreed hesitantly. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing. I just have class here," Nanoha answered.

There was a short pause, before Chrono chose the moment to trip over his own feet and royally embarrass himself.

Fate covered her mouth to hide her laugh. "You've already met Chrono, right?" she asked the princess.

"Yes. It's a pleasure, Chrono,"

"Y-yeah!" Chrono stammered, as Fate had to smother another round of giggles. After a second of awkward silence, he escaped into the classroom, still tomato red.

"Did I scare him?" Nanoha asked, frowning.

"No. Chrono's just…a little preoccupied with your beauty," Fate improvised.

Nanoha understood. "Oh," Fate was glad to see she showed no emotion at this prospect, except for maybe distaste. "Sorry, Fay, but I wouldn't want to kiss him in a million years,"

Way to be cold. Fate smiled a little, and nodded. "I'll pass on the message…but maybe not as bluntly,"

The late bell rang, and Nanoha turned towards her classroom, with a nod. "Thanks. Anyway…do you mind meeting me later? I'll come pick you up,"

"Oh. Of course," Fate answered. _It's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a…_

"So it's a date,"

"Right," Fate managed, and half-ran into the history class, desperate to escape.

999

"What?" Chrono looked shocked.

"She said she doesn't want to date you," Fate repeated. "Anyway, I've gotta change, do you mind—"

Chrono slammed the door in her face, probably to curl up dejectedly in a corner of the bathroom.

"Chrono! I need to get in there!"

"Change outside," snapped Chrono.

Fate sighed, and opened her bag, pulling out a fresh roll of bandages, and unbuttoning her shirt, pulling it off to untie the old set.

The door creaked open.

"Fate?"

Fate spun around. "Sorry, I'm busy—"

Nanoha stood there, and as Fate watched, her mouth dropped open. "What…?"

Fate grabbed her shirt, and tried to pull it on, but it ended up backwards. "Um…"

"What…were…?" Nanoha stammered faintly.

"Well…"

The bathroom door opened, and Chrono came out. "Sorry, Fate, you can come in—P-Princess?!"

It took about half a second for Chrono to grasp the situation.

"I…um…" Fate began, but Nanoha had turned, and taken off running. Fate started after her.

"Wait, Nanoha!"

She was already gone.

999

000

"Nanoha? Nanoha?"

"Huh?"

"Nanoha, it's rare for you to be daydreaming during my class," Yuno commented, surprised.

"Oh. That's 'cause you're so good at teaching," Nanoha smiled angelically for a second, before laughing. "No, I just met this really cool gi—boy named Fa…y,"

"Boy?" Yuno raised his eyebrows.

"A friend," Nanoha stressed. "Anyway, he has the Gift as well,"

"Really? Do I teach him?"

Nanoha shook her head. "S—I mean, he's a page, and he didn't sign up for the Gift class. I, uh, checked," she smiled a little sheepishly. "Anyway, what were you talking about?"

"The theory of Trebond and how the time-space continuims cannot be alterted unless they have specific limiters that stop the power from overflowing,"

"I'm bored,"

"I know,"

"Can I leave now?" Nanoha tried.

"No, unless you want—"

"—To go to a different class," Nanoha finished. "Ugh. Fine. I'll listen to your stupid lecture,"

"Nanoha…"

"I'll listen your very dull and ultimately pointless lecture, sir,"

"Better. Now, what do you think about—"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

Yuno sighed. "Fine. Go,"

999

Fate was skipping her afternoon class, and was leaning against a wall in a hallway close to one of Nanoha's classes, when she heard footsteps. Preparing to ready her excuse about being sick to a teacher, Fate leaned back, pretending to be sick.

Nanoha appeared, looking extremely fed up, and Fate frowned as their eyes met. Nanoha blushed.

"Hi…I, um…Fate…hi…" Nanoha stuttered.

"Hi,"

"So…"

"I'm a girl," Fate said, attempting to get the water clear as soon as possible. "And my real name is Fate,"

Nanoha looked at the floor. "Oh,"

"Why are you upset?" Fate asked.

"I'm not upset,"

"Yes, you are," Fate disagreed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing,"

Fate sighed. "Well, if you're going to be like that…" she turned and walked from the hall.

999

_The truth is, I liked you, and now that I've found out you're a girl…I was really disappointed. _

Like she was going to say that! Nanoha threw the nearest pillow at the wall in frustration, wrinkling her nose in a frown.  
She wanted to be friends with Fate, but she didn't know how she was going to explain being so moody around him…her…Nanoha threw another pillow.

"Princess? You're going to wake your sister," said Alisa, opening the door and frowning at the brunette.

"Whatever," snapped Nanoha. "I mean…"

"Is there something wrong? You've been awfully moody these days," Alisa noticed, frowning. "You've been acting like your father,"

"Shut up," Nanoha replied, but a smile crept over her lips without permission. "Well…I do have something sort a wrong,"

"Spit it out," Alisa said impatiently. "I haven't got all day,"

Only Alisa would talk to Nanoha this way; it was oddly refreshing.

"Well, you see…there's…a guy," Nanoha attempted to explain without giving anything away. "Who…I liked. But he's not exactly who I thought he was, so I don't know if I should still… like him or not,"

Alisa crossed her arms, apparently not impressed. "Well, do you like him?"

"Yes,"  
"Love him?" Alisa pressed.

Nanoha blushed. "M-maybe?" she offered.

"I'll take that as a yes. If you do…then stop worrying! Just get over yourself!" Alisa huffed. "Goddess, I swear that sometimes that royal head of yours has nothing in it,"

Nanoha giggled, as Alisa stomped out the door, apparently thinking the whole conversation a waste of time.

999

_"Please meet me outside, at your lunch hour, in the garden. Thank you,"_

There was no signature, but Fate was sure it was from Nanoha. All day, she was practically bouncing in her seat, waiting for lunch to arrive.

When it did, she burst out the door and took off at a run towards the rose gardens, her boots pounding the hard earth with beats numbered like heartbeats.

"Nanoha?" she stopped as she ducked under the arch into the garden.

All that was left was a white ribbon, and a crumpled note, both being tossed around by the wind. Fate knelt to pick up both as they stopped in front of her.

It looked like the ribbon had been dropped by accident, unlike the note, which had apparently been crumpled and dropped.

_"Dear Fate,_

_I just wanted to say that I actually like you…well, more than that. Anyway, I don't care even if you're a girl…and my friend convinced me to tell you, that I love…"_

There, a line ran haphazardly along the page, connecting to the "e". It looked like Nanoha's hand had slipped while she had written it.

Fate held it tightly in one hnad, like a precious gem.

There was just one thing bothering her now.

Where was Nanoha?

**000**

_Nanoha: What was that?_

_Me: Uh…I don't know?  
Nanoha: (sighs) Anyway, if you didn't already, review…if you already did, chapter 6 will be up soon, so just review at the same time for this one in one review…_

_Me: Way to be confusing._

_Nanoha: Whatever. _

_Me: (rocks out to music) Anyway, chapter 6 will hopefully be up by tonight, and if it's not, it'll be here by Sunday night! Hopefully! Please tell me what you think._


	6. Raven

**A/N: This chapter is mostly flashbacks in preparation to this fanfic drawing to a close. Or not. Whichever. Anyway…it's sorta confusing, but it will all be wrapped up and explained next chapter. I've been tres busy: excuses on my profile page. But I'm here now, and I hope this chapter will be a good plot-hole filler for later. **

_"Rae! Raaaae! Where are you?" called Erica. Her face was a little childish, giving the age range from about eight to ten. Her dark hair was braided in two thick plaits that shone with red in the sunlight, matching her reddish-brown eyes that glowed with the expectation of seeing her older sister_

_Rae, whose full name was Raven Alisa Tonerre, appeared from behind the nearest rose bush, smiling at her sister. "Hi, squirt. What'cha doing out here?"_

_Erica grinned at Rae; they were only really a year or so apart; maybe even less. Anyway, at the moment, Erica was nine, and Rae was ten. "I came to visit you and Mama!" Erica announced proudly. "I brought you a flower," Erica held out a red rose for her sister; Rae took it and put it in her dark hair._

_"Thank you. But you're really not supposed to be here, Eri," Rae said gently. "Maybe you should run on home,"_

_Erica pouted. "But I have to give Mama my present!"_

_"I'll give it to her for you,"_

_"NO! I have to do it myself!" Erica insisted stubbornly, looking more like six years old than ten. "Please, Rae?"_

_Rae sighed. "Fine. I'll walk you to where Mama's working. She's probably in the kitchens. You have to be fast, or else she'll get mad. So will the Queen," she warned._

_Erica nodded enthusiastically._

_"Okay, let's go," Rae held out a hand, and Erica took it as they headed towards the palace. _

_---_

_Inside the Queen's main room, Erica and Rae's mother, a kind woman named Dina, was busily dusting and cleaning the spotless room. _

_"Mama!"_

_Dina turned, her soft green eyes widening at the sight of her two daughters. She ran some fingers through her light brown hair the way she did when she was nervous. "Rae! Erica! What are you doing here?"_

_"We came to visit!"_

_Dina looked nervous. "I see…well, I'm glad you did…but you really must go now,"_

_"Why?" Erica frowned. "What's wrong?"_

_Rae grabbed her sister's hand. "We have to go, Eri,"_

_"No, why, Rae?" Erica's brown eyes were wide with confusion._

_"We'll talk later," Dina said hurriedly, just as the second door—the one that Erica and Rae hadn't entered—slammed open._

_"Dina! What are you doing?"_

_The woman had long, reddish brown hair that was curled stylishly around her pretty face. She looked almost like a statue, only in color. Her ruby red lips were curved down in a disapproving fashion, and her bright blue eyes flashed. She was as cold as a statue, too._

_"Your Majesty!" Dina muttered, curtsying. Eyes wide, her daughters followed suit._

_"Who are these…children?" the Queen spat out the word 'children' the way most people said 'cockroaches'._

_"They are my daughters, your majesty,"_

_"Send them away," ordered the Queen imperiously, shaking a hand in dismissal. "I must get dressed for tonight,"_

_Rae pulled her sister from the room; Erica was as still and unmoving as stone, her eyes wide with shock._

_"Come on, Erica!"_

_Rae dragged Erica all the way out into the flower gardens, where she turned to frown at her sister. "What's wrong with you?"_

_"I've seen that woman," croaked Erica. "She was the one who killed…"_

_Rae was shaking her head. "Impossible. A queen doesn't kill anyone. She gets others to kill for her,"_

_Erica shivered. "No, I'm sure of it. It was her…the one who murdered Stella,"_

_Rae's mouth dropped open. "Stella?" she asked, her eyes wide. "That's…but Stella was…"_

_"Stabbed, I know," Erica muttered. "But it was her face in the window of that carriage. It had to have been her,"_

_"Stella…"_

_Stella had been the only other child of their family; the oldest daughter, the only one with their mother's eyes and hair. She had been invited one day into a fancy carriage outside of their small cottage, and never had come out._

_"Why would they murder Stella?" asked Rae, frowning._

_"I don't know…but it was her,"_

_---_

_"If you say a word of this to Mama, I will rip off your arms and stuff them down your throat," threatened Rae. "You know how she gets when you talk about Stella,"_

_Erica sighed, but nodded as they opened the door to their home, and stepped inside._

_TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER_

_Erica took the knife from the kitchen, turning it over in her hands several times. Stella, the knife seemed to whisper. Stella, Stella, Stella._

_"Stella,"_

_Stella had been much of a mother to Erica; Dina and Rae both worked at the palace most days, but Stella stayed home and took care of Erica. It was an odd arrangement, but it was true._

_Erica slipped the knife into her sleeve, and ran to catch Rae._

_"Rae! Will you take me to the palace again?" she asked._

_Both of them were twelve, and looked almost like twins, unless you squinted and saw that Rae was the tiniest bit taller than Erica, and that Erica's eyes were just a bit bigger. "Fine. Come on, someone's waiting for us,"_

_"Who?"_

_"Aven,"  
Erica rolled her eyes. Rae's supposed 'best friend' was one of the boys from down the street…of course he was totally gorgeous, with brown hair and bright green eyes that sparkled like emeralds in the light--._

_"Are you daydreaming about him again? Come on, hurry!" Rae interrupted._

_Erica blushed, and they set out towards the palace._

_---_

_Her feet made almost no noise against the tiles, and Erica stole up to the Queen's room with ease. She knew her mother was out, getting something-or-other for the Queen, and that Rae was busy tending to the garden. _

_So she opened the door, and found the queen right where she had expected; asleep on one of the cushy couches, eyes closed, bangs fluttering with tiny, ladylike snores (if snores CAN be ladylike)._

_She made no sound, and not even a shake of a finger gave away her fear. She had no qualms about what she was about to do._

_She took the knife from her sleeve, and walked slowly over to the woman, bringing the knife up, slowly, and then down, just a small amount._

_The woman's eyes opened, and she lets out a scream as Dina opened the door, carrying a tray that slipped from numb fingers and shattered on the floor._

---

_**The execution date for one Erica Serenity Tonerre is set for April 19 in the town square. Open to all townspeople. She is charged for attempted murder on the queen, and will be henceforth executed by way of guillotine.**_

_**Official Document Issued by the High Tower Palace.**_

---

_Rae stood next to her sister, in the final moments they had alone; their mother had collapsed onto the floor the day the document had been issued, and hadn't moved from her place on the floor. _

_"Here," she said. No one was watching as she pulled out a simple brown dress and handed it to her sister. It matched her own exactly._

_"What?" Erica stared down at the dress, not understanding. _

_Rae managed a small half smile. "I'm giving it to you. Wear it. Leave. Run," she ordered._

_"Oh, no…Rae, I can't," Erica said, although she wanted to, with all her heart…she couldn't. She couldn't live with that guilt. "Please…don't,"_

_Rae sighed, but returned the dress to its place in her arms. "Well then…I suppose this will be good-bye,"_

_"Good bye," stammered Erica. She twined her fingers with her sister's. "I'll see you again."_

_"Someday," agreed Rae, managing the smallest of fake smiles. "I love you,"_

_"Love you too, Rae,"_

_They embraced for the shortest of seconds, before the door opened, and Rae turned to leave, as Erica stared after her._

_---_

Nanoha opened her eyes. "Where…am I?" she wasn't gagged. She had expected to be, but…her mouth was free.

A girl with brown hair stood over her, smiling softly. "You're at my home, princess,"

"Huh?" Nanoha asked dumbly. She tried to move, and realized she was tied up with thick, scratchy ropes. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "I'm Rae Tonerre. And you, Princess Nanoha, are going to die,"

"But…why?"

The smile didn't fade. "Your mother, Queen Himiko, murdered my older sister, and then had my younger one killed. It destroyed my mother, and she killed herself. You see, princess, your family destroyed all of mine,"

"What does this have to do with me?" demanded Nanoha. "My mother is dead. It's over,"

Rae's smile grew. "She is. But you see…it's not over at all. Not until all of your mother's family is dead…and the last blood relative of hers left is you,"

Nanoha noticed that between Rae's fingers was a knife, and she shivered involuntarily.

"I'm sorry," Rae said, and for one brief second she looked sane. Then the expression flashed back to the horrible smile. "Good-bye,"

**A/N: Ooh, cliffhanger! New chapter up by tomorrow…or maybe tonight. I'll see! Please leave a review! **


	7. Lightning

**A/N: Sorry I did such horrible things to you, Rae…(Rae is an OC of mine from an old short story I wrote a few years ago). Anyway! Lossa stuff happening, of COURSE, Fate's gonna come roaring in and save Nanoha. **

Nanoha let out a shriek, but it was not of pain. Rae had not bound her Gift with the ropes; she could still use magic. She didn't invoke a magic circle, not wanting Rae to notice, but sent the scream to the first person she could think of.

If you can't guess who it was, that would be a true tragedy.

---

Fate jumped to her feet in the middle of Latin class, and dashed out the door, ignoring the shouts of protest. She could feel Nanoha, where she was, and she heard the scream. It took forever to reach her room, but she threw open the door and retrieved her sword; she didn't carry Bardiche to lessons.

Transport spell. The only calm part of her mind ordered her around, dregging up the words and motions to transport herself to a magical signature.

She couldn't think properly as she mouthed the words, and caught a last glimpse of the castle, and Chrono running after her, as she swirled away.

---

Nanoha and Fate were not the only ones who felt the magic. Rae narrowed her eyes. "What was that? A spell?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I forgot to close off your magic. I'd forgotten,"

There was a flash of red light, tinged in gold, and Nanoha suddenly felt all of the magic she had been using cut off, as if by shears.

Rae smiled. "You were calling someone. I see. All the same, I'm sure that I can stop them, if need be,"

Nanoha struggled to keep the doubt off her face, but Rae saw it, and swiped the knife across Nanoha's arm, leaving only a small, shallow cut.

It wasn't much, but Nanoha was a princess, and not exactly used to pain. She managed not to cry out, even if some tears rose to her blue eyes.

Rae looked disappointed. "You're weak," she commented. "You won't be very much fun to play with. Once you're broken, I won't have any more fun,"

"You're crazy," Nanoha said flatly.

Rae's expression changed to delight. "Oh, I know. But imagine being in my shoes. Who would you be then?" she asked, then froze, staring at the door. "Your knight in shining armor is coming," she warned.

Nanoha's heart leapt. Fate!

Rae's expression turned dry. "You look like you're glad someone else is about to be killed," she said. "I'd expect you to look horrified,"

Killed? No…Fate couldn't…Rae wasn't…

"Ah, so you didn't realize? I didn't think a princess would be so stupid," Rae said, smiling lightly like the mad person she was.

"You…can't…Fate…you…you're not—"

"Strong enough?" Rae shook her head. "I beg to differ. I'm certainly more capable than you or your friend; she hasn't been able to break through my barriers yet, has she?"  
Nanoha narrowed her eyes. "She will,"

"Yes," agreed Rae. "I'm going to lower them,"

There was a shattering sound from outside, and it took only two moments before the door opened and Fate stepped into the room.

---

In one word, Nanoha could describe Fate as 'kind'. But now…she just looked different. Not kind, but Nanoha was glad to see she was in control. Her eyes were like bloody fires, but not the dancing flames that Rae's were. In one hand, her sword was energized by a single bolt of solid lightning, crackling and filling the room with light.

"Welcome," Rae said, and extended one hand.

In that simple movement, Nanoha suddenly felt the ropes binding her drop away, and at the same time, watched as Fate sank to the ground, looking stunned, almost as if invisible chains were pulling her towards the floor.

Nanoha ran to her, but Rae threw out her other hand, and Nanoha was suddenly frozen.

Rage filled her like a hot drink, and she could move again, slowly, and agonizingly, but she could still make her way towards Fate.

Rae raised an eyebrow, and Nanoha's movements became even slower, as if she was fighting her way through jello or something. "Stop," she ordered.

Nanoha glared. 'Like I'm going to listen to you!' She wanted to say, but didn't. Suddenly, she could move again, easily, pushing her way through only air. She took the oppurtunity to get to Fate as fast as she could.

And then, there was a scream.

Nanoha turned to stare at Rae, thinking it had come from her, but the girl's lips were curved in a satisfied smile.

And Nanoha looked down to see Fate, who was still sitting in an awkward, half-kneel, her hands turned to claws on the floor, and her knees tucked under her, screaming.

"Stop it!" yelled Nanoha frantically, trying, somehow, to undo whatever Rae was causing. "Stop, stop, stop it!"

Rae smiled, and Fate's screams subsided as Nanoha wrapped her arms around her, protectively, but knowing she could do nothing.

Yellow light flashed violently for a second, and everything was still and quiet.

"Did you like that?" Rae asked.

"Who are you?" Fate managed to ask.

"I'm Rae Tonerre. I'm afraid you were late, and missed the introductions," she murmured. "I'm afraid that your friend murdered my whole family, and now I'm here to murder her in return,"

"Nanoha didn't kill anyone,"

If it had been any other situation but this one, Nanoha would have been proud, and a little humbled to know that Fate didn't doubt her, didn't even send her a half of a glance to check.

"Her mother did," Rae retorted. "My sister was younger than both of you are now. Twelve. And your mother murdered her,"

Nanoha shivered. "I'm not my mother,"

Rae's eyes widened, and these words apparently drove her over the edge; Nanoha flinched back as the red eyes flickered. "Shut up!"

The hand clenched into a fist, and Fate was suddenly stiff, her lips pressed together, struggling to keep from letting out a sound. Nanoha got to her feet, abruptly furious.

And then it all shifted. Nanoha felt like her lungs were being flayed, slowly cut by something…tiny knives, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep the pain away, curling onto the ground.

Fate was on her feet, looking suddenly satisfied.

Thunder boomed from over head.

Fate held out one hand.

Rae squinted at her, for just a second, before she mouthed the words.

"No…you can't…"

The thunderbolt hit the house, and Fate prayed that Nanoha would have the sense to throw up a block if she was still thinking straight.

---

"Fate? Fate?" choked Nanoha, sitting up, and staring around. "Fate!"  
No one answered. The house was completely gone; all that was left were huge piles of wood and plaster, settled all around her. There was a hint of black hair peeking out from under a large pile, but Nanoha was only looking for Fate.

She was relieved to see that her friend was unharmed; just unconcious, lying in one of the few debri-free areas, eyes closed.

"Fate?" Nanoha crept over to her slowly, and touched her hand. "Fate?"

She didn't answer.

"Fate?"

No answer.

Nanoha felt her heartbeat accelerate; fearfully she gripped Fate's hand. "Fate!"

Still no answer.

Nanoha touched two fingers lightly to her neck, feeling…

There was no pulse.

"NO!"  
Her shoulders shook, and she brought the last ounce of magic she had to her palms, desparately trying to bring back Fate. Tears started to leak out of her eyes, and she hated herself for being so weak.

"Fate…Please don't go…please…I…I…love you, Fate…"

There was the briefest pause before a tiny sliver of burgundy appeared under an eyelid.

"Fate!" Nanoha couldn't help herself; she grabbed Fate and pulled her into a tight hug.

Fate managed a half-smile. "Hi. I think I…overdid it,"

"Don't ever scare me like that again," ordered Nanoha, pressing her face into Fate's shoulder.

"Okay. But…one thing,"

"Anything," Nanoha promised.

"Did you mean it? What you said?"

"Of course I did!"

"Okay," Fate smiled. "Then, I love you too,"

Nanoha didn't even think about it, she just leaned in to kiss Fate and hoped for the best.

She didn't even need to worry, because Fate kissed her back immediately, and they sat like that for a long time, surrounded by a broken house and just enjoying themselves.

**A/N: -drowns in fluff- I think I overdid it myself, there. Anyway! You can choose which one you liked better, the slightly-angsty-but-then-cutish ending or the suspenseful-but-then-super-fluffy-ending.**


	8. Alternate Chapter 7

**A/N: One of the many occasions at which I am supposed to be doing something else…and am not. I had so much trouble with this chapter, it's kind of unreal. This is like my fifth draft, and usually I don't do drafts at all. Anyway, enjoy. Or at least try to!**

Rae's eyes danced like lamps in front of her as Nanoha gasped, practically fainting, at the simple sight of the cold metal. She had always thought she was tougher than this…her mind buzzed at her like an annoying insect, warning her.

_Magic. _

RAE was doing this. She stared at the other girl, her mind suddenly as sharp as crystal; weather she had done it on purpose or not, she didn't stop to dwell on.

"What do you want?" Nanoha asked.

"Your death," Rae almost sang the words, excited by madness. Then she titled her head, feigning confusion. "No…I want you to suffer," it was as if there was a demon in a child's body, and Nanoha shuddered at the girl only a few years older than she was. "I have an idea," Rae tapped the knife against her own palm, drawing a droplet or two of blood and not noticing. "How about if we call your knight?"

"My…knight?" Nanoha was confused…but her mind seized on one face as soon as the words left her lips. "Fate?"

Rae smirked. "Is that the name? Whoever the person closest to you is,"

"But…why?" Nanoha was absoultely convinced that Rae was crazy now; if she allowed her to call Fate, Rae would be completely destroyed.

"I plan to kill them," Rae explained. "And you can watch. You see, the only reason you are still bound is because my Gift is stronger than yours,"

"What?" Nanoha gasped. "I'm not even fighting you! What are you…?"

Rae shrugged, and pointed one finger at Nanoha, who flinched, expecting pain, but instead, something different happened.

---

The chair crashed to the floor as Fate sprang to her feet and ran out the door. Shouts followed her out, but she didn't pay them any attention. She was sure, absolutely sure that Nanoha needed her, was calling her…

_Wait. _A tiny, sensible part of her whispered. _Think._

Fate didn't pause as her mind called forth the transportation spell she had learned when Hayate got lost and she'd been forced to find her. It traced magical signatures, and Fate knew Nanoha's well, from their few meetings before Fate had—

She stopped reminiscing and set up the spell. It took little time, except the spoken words took achingly long seconds to chant.

The final word ignited the spell, and in a whirl of color, Fate felt the small hallway disappear from around her as she was whisked towards her princess.

---

Oh, Nanoha was fighting now. There was a frown of concentration on her face, and pink lights danced around her uselessly. Rae had been right; her Gift was stronger.

"How?" Nanoha asked finally, exhausted by her efforts.

"I killed a few people," Rae brushed it off, as if Nanoha had begun to praise her. "No one extremely powerful, but a lot of little Gifts add up…"

Nanoha felt sick. "You ate their magic?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want it to go to waste now, would I?""

Nanoha shuddered. "You're sick,"

Rae shrugged as the door burst open.

"Fate!"

"Nanoha?" Fate looked as if she'd just gone through a tornado, but Nanoha was still glad to see her "What—who is this? I heard you calling me, and…"

So that was what Rae had forced her to do with her magic. Nanoha didn't answer right away, but Rae did.

"Hello. Fate, I assume?"

"What are you doing with Nanoha?" Fate's eyes almost mirrored Rae's, except Fate's were sane, controlled, but lit with danger—a warning.

"Oh, nothing," Rae waved off the question. "Now…" she turned the knife over in her hands, playing with it in a creepily easy way, not paying any attention to the sharp curves.

"We're leaving," Fate warned, walking over to her friend, preparing to untie her. She managed to get most of the ropes off before Rae intervened.

"I don't think so," Rae smiled, and extended a hand.

It was horrible to watch, and Nanoha wanted to close her eyes, stop looking, stop hearing, stop feeling…it was selfish of her, but the truth. She wanted to block her ears, throw herself away from the scene…but she didn't.

She just screamed, her voice hitting an octave so high she felt her throat tear. "Stop! Stop it! STOP!" She was no longer coherent, and the shakes that wracked her body were making it impossible to speak any longer. "STOP!"

Rae smiled. "I could wonder, you know. This is what I'd have liked to do when my sister died, but if I had, I would have been killed myself…although, that would be after she died, of course. So perhaps…"

In the instant that it took for Rae to ready her own magics to end Fate's life, Nanoha grabbed her last chance and threw up a shield around Fate.

Rae reacted quickly and easily. Her direction and intentions changed in an instant, but Fate was already working.

Lightning crackled, and the pain in Nanoha's lungs stopped as suddenly as it had come.

Fate seemed exhausted by the simple magic. Nanoha was shocked to find her own Gift too weak to do anything, let alone bind Rae.

Fate drew her sword instead. Bardiche, Nanoha remembered.

It took only an instant for her to cross the room, and then…

Rae threw herself forward, and the sword went straight through her body, spraying the room with disgustingly bright red liquid.

A smile lit her face, ghastly and horrifying at the same time. But it was just a tiny bit saner than her other actions. "Thank you,"

---

"It wasn't your fault," Nanoha persisted. Fate had dropped her sword and run from the house at the first oppurtunity, and Nanoha had been quick to follow her into the overrun garden.

"I could have stopped," muttered Fate miserably.

Nanoha didn't answer, and Fate didn't speak

Lookng back, she wasn't exactly sure _why _she had even done what she had at the time, but really, there weren't words.

Or were there? Well, whatever the reason, she wrapped her arms around Fate. Fate looked up for the tiniest moment of a second.

And Nanoha kissed her.

At first, she thought Fate was going to pull away, but she didn't. She just stood there, still, and Nanoha was afraid that she had scared her, before Fate relaxed, and kissed her back.

And it rained.

**FIN**

**A/N: When I get around to it, yes, there will be a second…part. I wasn't too satisfied with this chapter, so there IS an alternate ending. Eventually, I'll choose which one is better. And for the part when Nanoha was screaming, it was because Fate was getting tortured.**

**Note: I was reading crack fics while I wrote this, so if it came out kind of off, I apologize. I know, I just ruined the moment. Anyway, the alternate ending will be coming out in a minute or two.**

**Reviews? I'd appreciate specifics.**

**OH! And I can't believe I forgot! This chapter and fic was for Alavon...because I stole her plot bunny. (sweatdrops) I'm sorry, Alavon-sama!  
**


	9. Lost

**A/N: Oooh, last chapter had HORRIBLE last line, huh. Where did I get that one from? Anyways, this one is still so-so; it's very fast because I was desperate to get N and F on the road together... **

"This?" Fate's voice was an octave higher with surprise, and she heard Chrono snort slightly, but ignored him. "THIS is my assignment?" her voice rose even higher, and Chrono's snort was now fully pronounced.

"Yes," Signum answered, straightening her papers. After the fiasco with Hayate, she had taken up a position in the legion Fate belonged to, and assigned each knight a job to handle. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes! There is, actually!" the tone was just under a shriek; even Signum was grinning now.

"And what would that be?"

Fate had apparently lost her voice, but Chrono answered for her. "They haven't seen each other in six or so years," he explained, smirking.

Fate glared and resisted the urge to tackle him. "Shut up. Six years is a long time, you know,"

"Oh, yes, you're sooo much different than the young, innocent Fate..."

"Shut up!" snapped Fate, and Chrono's grin widened.

"Well, I feel like the princess would be more comfortable with someone she knows, and the king specifically asked for someone she would be fine with traveling with," Signum's tone closed the matter. "Now, the assignment begins in three days..."

"She'll do it!" Chrono volunteered his foster sister.

For once, Fate was silent.

---

"Her?" Nanoha shrieked. "HER?! You assigned HER to guard me on my way to wherever the hell you're sending me? HER?!"  
Ryou looked flustered. "I thought she was your friend, Nanoha,"

"Well, yes, but..." Nanoha waved her hands around helplessly. "It's been a while, and... I can't even remember the last time I saw her!"

Actually, the last time Nanoha had seen her friend was a particularly memorable day when they had been kissing under one of the willow trees out in the garden, but Nanoha wasn't about to tell her father that.

"Oh. Well, they've already planned it out, so...I'm sorry about that...uh..."

"Ugh, you're so..." Apparently, the king would never find out just what he 'so' was, because Nanoha stomped out of the room, her cheeks a firey red.

Vivio poked her head into the room. "What, did you run over her kitten again?"

Ryou sighed.

---

It took a while for Fate to ride to the palace gates, and she took her time with the spell, trying to drag out the time between the meeting...already, awkwardness curled in the pit of her stomach, sitting there like a cold stone...

"Hello,"

"Holy—" She jumped several feet in the air, and started to curs, but stopped as she stared up into the blue eyes she'd been dreading. "Hi, Na—Princess,"

"Hi...Fate," Nanoha answered awkwardly. "Um...so...how are you?"

"Good," Fate muttered. "I've been...umm...good,"

"Oh,"

---

Thirty more awkward and heavy silence-filled minutes later, the two of them were in a small, magically drawn carriage.

The king had explained that Nanoha was to take a trip across the desert, so that she could act as a diplomat for their country. Fate was a little nervous for the motives behind the trip, but Nanoha seemed relaxed, so Fate forced herself to feel the same.

And now they were sitting in a very confined space, each saying nothing, and letting the silence settle over them like a blanket...made of lead.

---

_"We've been gone for a while," breathed Nanoha against Fate's lips. _

_"It doesn't matter," Fate shook the comment off._

_"But night's starting to come, and we're right next to a dead body!" complained Nanoha. "Come ON, let's go home..."_

_Fate shivered. "Can we?"_

_"Yes, I can bring us home. You worry too much,"_

_Fate laughed. "I wasn't worrying,"_

_"Hmm..." Nanoha teased, as another addition of pink lit the multicolored, orange sky._

---

_Fate hung her head. "I-I'm sorry...I..."_

_"I don't want your damn excuses, Fate,"_

_"But—I—"_

_" Just leave," _

_"Nanoha..."_

_"Just...just..." Nanoha hiccupped, and suddenly burst into tears. Fate wrapped her arms around her, and just like that, they had made up._

_Life was easy like that._

---

_"But I don't want you to go away!" whined Nanoha. Fate grinned in spite of herself._

_"It's only for a month or so, Nanoha, and I'll write. Don't worry about it," Fate reassured her friend and princess. "I'll be back soon,"_

_"I don't like you going far away with Chrono, all by yourself," Nanoha wrinkled her nose._

_"Is someone jealous?" teased Fate. "He's my brother, stupid. Besides, I'd hit him if he tried to kiss me anyway,"_

_"Well...just for good luck..." Nanoha kissed her._

---

_"She didn't write? I was expecting a letter from her today..." Nanoha murmured._

_"Well, she must be busy," Alisa said reasonably. "I mean, she's traveling the world, with what's-his-name, and she's made quite a name for herself; your father was so understanding when she finally revealed the truth! Anyway, she'll be back soon..."_

_"Yes, but..."_

_"Letter for Princess Nanoha," interrupted a soft voice; it was Suzuka, who had stopped caring for Vivio and was now just a normal servant. "It's from Fate,"_

_"Read it aloud," Alisa ordered; Suzuka was her friend, so there was nothing superior in her tone._

_"Okay...'Dear Nanoha. I apologize, but I can't come home quite yet; Chrono has insisted that we must go across the river for another assignment that a few others couldn't handle earlier...I'll be home in another month or so...Please don't worry, and I'm very sorry. From, Fate.' Oh dear..." Suzuka put a hand to her mouth at Nanoha's expression._

_"It's fine," Nanoha wiped away angry tears. "She'll be home soon,"_

_"Mhm..."_

---

_Months stretched into years, and soon, Fate was only back at the palace for a day or two, maybe less. And then, her visits stopped altogether. _

_Neither wrote, neither scryed for the other, and they lost touch._

_Just like that._

---

"Fate?" Nanoha asked softly, as the wind ruffled Fate's hair from the top of the carriage. It was drawn by magic, so there was no one else but them. "Do you want to come in?"

Once, she would have said yes in an instant, and climbed into the small compartment and wrapped her arms around her princess. But not anymore..."No, it's all right," she answered.

There was silence, before the door opened and Nanoha climbed out, precariously bringing herself up to where Fate sat with a clumsy climb up the side of the carriage. Fate didn't worry; she knew Nanoha could catch herself in an instant if she fell.

"Fate..." murmured Nanoha. "I wanted to talk to you about..."

Fate didn't—or rather, couldn't—think. She just launched herself off the side of the carriage and took off in the night, not turning around to take in Nanoha's shocked and hurt expression.

"Fate..."

**A/N: I already have an outline, and planning is soo hard. Anyway.**

_Next Chapter: Fate cried out as the sword point pierced her, but it lasted only an instant before Nanoha blasted the attacker backwards, shock clear on her face. "What were you THINKING?"_

**Reviews, please? I didn't really mean it when I asked for specifics! I can't believe everyone took it so seriously. Special thanks to Yuki-Kamishiro. **

**Reviews mean cookies and sugar-coated rainbow fluff. **


	10. Running

**A/N: Here's your milk, Y-K. Anyone up for a Margo? I'll explain at the end. Fate and Nanoha are traveling through the desert, FYI. 'Sad' is when you're the author and you have to actually go back and read the previous chapter to find out what just happened. **

----------------------------------

"You ran from me,"

Was she imagining the disapproving tone, or was it actually there? Fate couldn't decide, and couldn't look at Nanoha to see.

"You ran from me,"

She wanted to bite out an, 'I know,', and then run away again, but she didn't. She just stood there, silently, not saying a word.

"You ran from me, and now look what's happened,"

"I'm sorry," Fate muttered.

"Look what you've done to yourself,"

Fate shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she murmured. "I'll live,"

"Like hell,"

Fate looked up, surprised; Nanoha hardly ever cursed. "What?"

"You heard me,"

Fate wished she hadn't looked; Nanoha's face was like ice. "I'm sorry,"

Nanoha turned away, and Fate wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was cold.

"I'm sorry, too,"

Fate didn't catch the words; they were too quiet.

---

_She had run, and she shouldn't have. The darkness pressed around her from all angles, and she suddenly knew that she had to be near Nanoha, close to her, around her…_

_It took a burst of speed for Fate to shoot back to the carriage; when had she become so used to protecting Nanoha again?_

_"Nanoha?"_

_Something; probably soldiers of some sort, surrounded the carriage. Taking a closer look, she discovered they were nothing more than bandits, probably looking for some money. Idiots._

_Because she was cocky, she was less careful, and didn't even stop to think. If she had been her normal, rational self, she would have seen the flashes of light that meant that these were no ordinary bandits, and that at least half of them had the Gift._

_She didn't see him because he was invisible, and she cried out as the sword point pierced her, but it lasted only an instant before Nanoha blasted the attacked backwards, shock clear on her face._

_"What were you THINKING?" Nanoha cried, but Fate had already pushed the princess behind her, and it was only a moment before the bandits were gone; Fate's Gift had knocked them all to the ground, unconcious._

_"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Nanoha,"_

"_You ran from me,"_

---

The scene had haunted her all night, and when she pried her eyes open as the sun rose up over the endless expanse of desert, she felt as tired as she had last night.

"Fate? Are you all right?" Nanoha's voice was soft, now, without the coldness that had pierced Fate last night.

Fate nodded, stretching stiff muscles with effort. "I'm fine, princess," she murmured.

"Are you sure? I'm sorry I was angry last night, I—"

Fate ran.

---

_"Are you sure we should be here, Nanoha?" asked Fate, wondering vaguely as Nanoha climbed over to wrap herself in Fate's arms. _

_"Yes. It's MY garden," Nanoha answered, sounding a tiny bit defensive now. Fate smiled; Nanoha was so like a spoiled child sometimes. "And it's pretty here, right?"_

_"Yes, until the giant, fat, green catepillars come…" Fate answered. Nanoha made a face, and Fate's smile widened, assuring her that she was just joking. "Of course it's pretty. We're under the most beautiful tree in the whole world,"_

_"That's only because you're here," Nanoha corrected, and Fate giggled._

_"When did you become such a romantic?" _

_"Since Alisa and Suzuka started giving me lessons!" Nanoha answered proudly, and Fate laughed outright at this. _

_"They've taught you well," Fate said, teasing her a little. "How have you been?"_

_Nanoha rolled her eyes, and stuck out her tongue. "It's sooo boring! I have to learn how to sit, and talk, and act, and hold myself, and—"_

_"I think we've heard enough," laughed Fate. "Who's been teaching you?"_

_"Yuno, 'cause he's more of a girl than anyone in the palace," Nanoha answered, apparently still sullen at the thought of learning how to be royalty._

_Fate laughed again. "And who else?"_

_Nanoha shrugged. "Some stuffy old ladies, and a prostitute,"_

_"A prostitute? I doubt it,"_

_"She is; at least she looks like one,"_

_"That's not a very nice thing to say,"_

_"Well…" Nanoha began, but broke off. "You're too nice, Fate. You're nice to everyone!"_

_"That's just not true. I'm not at all nice to Chrono when we argue," Fate disagreed._

_"Huh," Nanoha said disbelievingly, but then leaned over and kissed Fate out of the blue._

_The other girl was startled, obviously, but wasn't unused to Nanoha's random signs of affection and kissed her back._

_"Let's stay like this forever, okay?"_

_"Of course," _

---

"A letter?"

"Yes," Nanoha answered simply. "Here, you can read it yourself,"

'_Dear Princess Nanoha,_

_You have been engaged to the Prince of the Red Isles. Please change direction so that you may go to visit him for the first time. _

_Thank you,_

_King'_

Fate stared at the letter for a few seconds before handing it back to Nanoha. "We'll have to head there, then?" she asked calmly.

Nanoha looked disappointed for a fraction of a second before she recomposed her face and smiled pleasantly; a fake smile. "Yes, we will," she frowned, and for a second, Fate saw how annoyed she was.

"He didn't sign it," Fate noticed, and Nanoha half-smiled.

"No, he didn't. Oh, well,"

"He didn't even tell you the name,"

"I know," Nanoha sighed, and curled up into a little ball.

Fate would have gone over to her and hugged her in an instant, but she was a coward, and she was scared that Nanoha would push her away. So, she ran.

She was doing too much of that nowadays, wasn't she?

She didn't go far; just to the roof, and stared up at the almost-ebony sky, patterned with diamond-like stars. The moon shone like a perfect pearl, cut in half by a clean knife. She smiled, and asked the sky a question.

"What am I doing here?"

---

**A/N: I know it was short; limited time schedule, I apologize. Muse is still awake, apparently. Free milk and cookies and Margos to all! Note: a margo is a delicious snack of a giant chocolate-chip cookie with whipped crème and giant chocolate disks stuck in the microwave for 50 seconds and then eaten with a fork. **

**Review, and you will get a Margo AND a cookie. **


	11. Remembered

**A/N: Margos ARE delicious during wintertime (not so much in summer, because it's hot, although FROZEN margos are good too), even if they're 2.50 apiece…hehe…It's really crowded in there after school, though. ANYWAY, the flashback, Fate was supposed to be remembering it. Sorry if that was unclear. **

----------Dis----------

Nanoha stared up at the empty sky as the wind brushed her auburn hair past her face, and turned to Fate. There was a flash of something in Fate's eyes; almost fearful, but she pressed on anyway.

"Fate, I want to know why you keep running from me," she murmured, and wasn't sure if she was talking to the other girl or herself.

"I…" Fate began. "I'm not even sure why…I just, I can't stay, and…" she stammered to a stop, and looked away, unable to look into the steady blue eyes.

"Fate,"

"I'm sorry," Fate whispered.

That was all the answer Nanoha needed, but not the one she wanted.

'I'm sorry,' could mean 'I don't want to see you anymore', or 'I love you but can't be with you' or 'I'm sorry for acting this way and I love you,'.

"Fate,"

Fate looked away, and didn't answer, and Nanoha's heart cracked a little bit.

"Do you remember?" she whispered.

---

_They were sitting on one of the swings outside of the palace, and Nanoha was sitting opposite Fate, and they were laughing about nothing; like they usually did. Nanoha laughed, at a joke both of them had forgotten._

"_Fate, I…" Nanoha began, and Fate cut her off with a kiss._

_"What were you going to ask?" Fate asked a few minutes later, once Nanoha had pulled away, her face bright red. Fate was wearing a playful smirk that made Nanoha give her a little shove to the shoulder._

_"Shut up. I was going to say that I love you," Nanoha huffed._

_"I know," Nanoha pouted as Fate laughed. "I'm kidding. I love you, too,"_

_"You swear?"_

_"Swear?"_

_"Pinky swear," ordered Nanoha._

_"Aren't we a little old--?"_

_"Shut up, just do it,"_

_"Fine,"_

_"I promise—"_

---

"—To stay with you forever," Nanoha recalled, and Fate jerked backwards as if something had shocked her, her eyes wide. "I won't hold you to your promise, Fate, but do you remember?"

Fate was silent, but she mouthed words that Nanoha couldn't make out.

"Fate?" Her shoulders slumped even before Fate ran.

---

Coward! Coward, coward, coward, stupid, senseless, evil, coward! Fate curled her arms around her knees and her shoulders slumped. Coward. She had run so far this time, farther away from Nanoha than that first time with the bandits.

She didn't want to run, and of course she remembered the promise she had given Nanoha six years ago, when they were thirteen years old, right before Fate had left and chaos had descended…

She remembered leaving Nanoha that first time, and then coming back so many times, and then leaving again…she remembered all of the times that she had come and gone, and then the recent times she had run from Nanoha.

Of course she would keep her promise now…there was no way in the world she could leave Nanoha again, but…

_You've already left her so many times._ A snide voice in her head reminded her.

She brushed the thought away. She would stop running, of course. She would go back to Nanoha and explain and apologize why she had run.

She had run because she was scared, scared of the future she saw in Nanoha's eyes, and scared of giving up the life she held now, and giving herself to someone else completely [1], someone she could never be with, because Nanoha was a princess, and engaged…

That was silly, of course. Nanoha would never own her, and she would be free forever. Her worries seemed irrelevant now…except for the one with the prince. But they would talk about that, and somehow find a way out of it.

She looked up at the sky, preparing to return to her princess, just as a hand grabbed her arm.

---

Fate had been gone a long time. Nanoha sighed. She hoped she hadn't scared her friend, or hurt her feelings…maybe Fate was offended that Nanoha had doubted her. Still, it was hard not to, with all of Fate's running and silences and…

Nanoha shook her head. She wouldn't think of that, not now. She would try for as many times as it took to find out the reasons behind Fate's actions, and then work as hard as she could to make Fate love her.

Maybe love her again, or maybe just make Fate remember.

Nanoha had never stopped loving Fate.

A tiny shard stuck at the back of her mind, and with dread, she remembered her engagement. No…Was that why Fate had been acting so odd?

She hoped, selfishly, that that was the reason, and not because Fate hated her, and didn't love her…

So, she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But Fate didn't come back. Nanoha shuddered into the cold night as the darkness cloaked over the world like a blanket patterned with diamonds.

---

Ouch. This was not good. Fate put a hand over the largest, stinging cut on her ribs, and staggered back towards the cliff she had occupied before being attacked by…whoever, or whatever, those things had been.

The only good part of this was that she had managed to win the fight. On the other hand, she was injured so badly, all of her Gift was focused on simply keeping her concious, if not alive.

Her clothes were stained with blood from the numerous cuts on her arms and legs; how many of her attackers had had knives?

With her free hand, she brushed her lower back, assessing the damage there, and was shocked when her fingers came up wet, with blood.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion; she could not remember being hurt from behind.

Her eyes emptied as she collapsed.

---

Nanoha panicked, desperately searching with her magic for Fate's life force, the force she had picked up only seconds ago; it was suddenly gone, and she shivered, fear taking her completely.

Fate…What had happened? She wasn't…she couldn't be…

Nanoha wouldn't allow herself to think of it as she jumped from the carriage and into the night.

---

**A/N: The songs for this chapter would be Umbrella & Love Story by Taylor Swift and 15 Step by Radiohead. I know, the chapters just get shorter and shorter…long one next time (?).**

**Free ice cream and magic eyeballs for all…Margos too, of course. **


	12. Starlight

**A/N: I owe you guys another chapter! Hard at work at new stuff, but still. Sorry for the wait. **

**CHAPTER 11: STARLIGHT **

She dreamed that Nanoha stood in front of her with a smile and a hand extended, but her limbs were too heavy to move properly. She tried to reach, but it was impossible; it was as if her bones had turned to lead inside her arms.

The dream shifted to something out of the ordinary, and the Nanoha illusion morphed into a different face, a stranger. She tried to back away, but again, she was frozen in place.

A haze separated her from the other in a curtain that made it impossible to see properly. Her eyelids drifted closed.

She wondered briefly if she would open them again.

---

Blue eyes shifted, constantly searching through the landscape, for a sign of Fate. There was…just nothing. Perhaps Fate was sleeping; she couldn't sense anyone unless they were aware of their surroundings and themselves. That was all she could hope for at the moment, and it was probably too much anyway.

Fate had been gone for hours, it was cold, and it was dark. And if Fate was injured, anything could—

She didn't want to think of the word.

Of course Fate was alive, it was silly of her to think that she was—

Never mind.

Nanoha studiously wiped her mind blank, and stared ahead, searching.

---

Fate forced her eyes open, egged on by the thought of her princess, and stared up at the stars, thinking about them.

Her mind made images for her, creating constellations that didn't exist. She pondered them as she watched them.

If she thought about it, Nanoha really was like a star. She was beautiful, and shone brightly in a dark sky. She only came out at a certain time of day. And no matter how far you reached, you could never get to her.

Maybe her injuries had gotten an infection or something. She pushed the strange thoughts away, and concentrated on the starlight, picking out one particular star; the brightest one in the sky.

She named it, and focused simply on staring at it for as long as she could.

---

Several minutes later, she heard a voice calling her, and hadn't realized she'd closed her eyes. She opened them, and panicked.

"I lost it," she muttered.

"Lost what?"

"The star,"

"What star?" the voice asked. Fate looked up into blue eyes.

"Your star!"

"I don't have a star, Fate," Nanoha whispered, stroking Fate's hair with one finger. "Do you feel okay?"

"Of course," Fate looked offended, and glared up at her princess. "I'm fine. But I lost your star,"

"Which one is it?"

"The brightest one in the sky,"

"I see it," Nanoha answered after a moment,

Fate craned her neck to stare in the same direction. "Yes, that one,"

"What's it called?" asked Nanoha curiously.

"What else would it be called?" Fate rolled her eyes. "It's called Nanoha, of course!"

Nanoha smiled. "I love you,"

Fate didn't get a chance to answer, because Nanoha kissed her, and then she couldn't see the stars anymore because they were already burned into her eyelids.

---

If this was a story, that would have been a very nice place to end, but there were a lot of unanswered questions.

First, Nanoha was betrothed. Second, it turned out that Fate's wounds really were…well, not exactly fatal, but still enough to make Nanoha dance around the room with worry.

And third, Nanoha hadn't plucked up the nerve to ask Fate not to leave, and Fate hadn't been able to ask Nanoha if she could stay with her.

In case it wasn't clear, and although neither had acknowledged it…

They both mean, "forever".

In a full sentence, if both of them could (for once) actually just tell the other their true feelings, it would be, "I want to stay with you forever,".

---

It took until the final moment for Nanoha to finally get over herself, but let's go back a little bit, to before Fate began to walk out of the palace gates and before Nanoha grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

---

"Sorry, but this is not what I want…" announced Nanoha to her father. "I know I was supposed to go, but I really…don't want to. Can't you find some other way to do this…besides me marrying a stranger?"

To her great surprise, Nanoha's father laughed. "Of course, Nanoha. We'll see how it goes, all right? In the meantime, you and Miss Fate rest up some, and wati until Fate leaves for her next assignment, all right?"

"Um…y-yes," managed Nanoha as she stumbled out of the room.

Fate waited outside of the door, staring at her princess expectantly, and waiting for the verdict.

"He said it was fine," Nanoha explained, looking slightly shocked. "He wasn't upset at all…"

"Oh,"

There was a short silence, and Nanoha suddenly noticed it was dark outside.

"Show me my star again, please?"

Fate smiled lightly. "Of course,"

---

The morning of "that day" came far too quickly, and when Nanoha finally pried her eyes open, she realized (with no small amount of dread) that Fate was leaving that day.

And then she remembered she would miss Fate completely if she didn't head out now, and stumbled out of her room in her nightgown, toward the courtyard where Fate was surely waiting for her.

"One more minute, Chrono," Fate was begging as Nanoha burst out of the doors. "See? There--?"

"No, we're late," Chrono interrupted. "We have t ogo,"

He pulled on her hand, and Nanoha thought, _So just like that…she's going to be gone? _

Until she realized that her hand was clenched tightly aorund Fate's wrist.

"I…" she almost let go, almost brushed it off as a, 'sorry, that was an accident', but something stopped her. "I…"

Fate just looked at Nanoha, as if expecting her to let go and step back at any moment.

"I…don't want you to leave!" Nanoha burst out. "Please…don't…" she stopped, blushing a firey red, and staring at the floor.

Fate waited.

Nanoha looked up and met her eyes. "Don't go, Fate. Please. Stay with me," she whispered. _She's gonna say no, she's gonna say no…_

Instead, Fate smiled, and squeezed Nanoha's hand back. "Of course I'll stay. What do you think I finished my training for, anyway?"

Nanoha frowned. "Huh?"

Fate's smile grew. "Did you know, Nanoha? Ever since I've met you, I wanted to become a knight because of two things. I promised my sister, and…"  
Nanoha tried to remember that breathing was a necessary part to staying alive.

"…I wanted to be by you, forever,"  
Nanoha's brain stopped. "How…would doing that make you stay by me?" she choked out, still confused.

Fate raised her eyebrows in a familiar way that made Nanoha want to grab her and never let go. "Silly princess. I want to be _your _knight," Fate explained.

Nanoha's eyes widened to around the size of plates.

One second…two seconds…

"Fate!"

Chrono rolled her eyes, and Fate laughed as Nanoha launched herself at Fate and wrapped her arms around her.

"Guess what?" Fate whispered in her ear.

"What?" Nanoha whispered back to her.

"I want to stay with you forever, too,"

Nanoha smiled. "I love you,"

"I know," Fate answered.

They kissed.

**--- FIN ---**

**Author's Note: **I was seriously THIS close to writing, "They kissed, and tried to ignore Chrono retching in the background," but I didn't ruin the moment, for once. I know it was short. Shh!

-Thanks a ton to all of my reviewers and favoriters**, kawaii-kitty101, KillerQueen118, Kode Dekka, Lucia-Rozen, Nipah, RetardedFool, ShadowGirdo, whitedevilfate09, Fate TrulyGood, Heart-san, moonpower02, krugern, chkim218, Spikesagitta, and tears of the soul.**

-And of course, special thanks to** Yuki-Kamishiro! **This chapter was for you, Y-K.

-Another special thanks to **Alavon**, because I totally stole her story by accident, and I wish I could give the whole thing back to her…Thank you!

**Did I pull through? Was the ending okay? Reviews…or rather, opinions, appreciated.**

**Ema Signing Off.**


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